Phillies addition of Plouffe highlights lack of organizational depth
Phillies fans should worry about what awaits in Lehigh Valley
By quieting adding veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe, the Phillies are drawing some concern regarding their depth at third within the organization. Behind Maikel Franco, once thought to be the savior of the organization as their top prospect, the depth at third in the Phillies organization is abysmal.
Prospect Cole Stobbe has fallen off most organization rankings after being drafted 78th overall in 2016. He’s hit .235 in 106 minor league games, none above Single-A Lakewood.
If an infielder is injured, the most likely call-up would be Jesmuel Valentin, who came from the Dodgers in the Roberto Hernandez trade in 2014. Currently on the 40-man roster, Valentin missed most of last season with a shoulder injury and was one of the final major league roster cuts coming out of Clearwater.
Valentin has played 26.2 innings at third base, which accounts for eight-thousandths of a percent of his playing time on defense. Almost all of those innings have been with Lehigh Valley, but Valentin certainly can’t be expected to handle the hot corner at the major league level anytime soon.
Cesar Hernandez, J.P. Crawford, and Scott Kingery have gotten limited time at third, none of which are primary third basemen.
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Now Plouffe joins the Iron Pigs, who started Mitch Walding at third 13 times this year and hit .268 this year and .206 in his last 10 games. Heiker Meneses, who’s spent 11 years in the Red Sox and Twins minor league system, is hitting .160 with Reading while starting at third.
The lack of depth has driven the idea that Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado, who forced his way to shortstop, will be a primary target next offseason in free agency.
Plouffe will take hold of the Lehigh Valley starting job and could receive a major league call-up if a significant injury occurs on the major league level that warrants Plouffe being added to the 40-man roster.
Next: Top third basemen of the last decade
Plouffe signing was surprising but ultimately makes sense for a team looking to take a step forward. A fear regarding a lack of depth in the organization could ultimately be diminished with Franco’s bat emerging or Machado signing this offseason. Until then, the hot corner is a burning hole in the organization that can’t be ignored.